The county council faces an “unbalanced and unapproved” budget after councillors failed to come to an agreement over the coming year’s finance.

Cambridgeshire County Council’s general purposes committee met today (January 24) to try to agree a budget recommendation for 2017-2018. Councillors discussed raising council tax to help pay for services in the face of financial cuts.

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Because of the structure of the council, which has no controlling party, no group was able to take overall control of the situation and parties disagreed on how funds should best be allocated.

Labour leader, Cllr Ashley Walsh said: “This county council is in a pincer movement. By 2020, not a single penny of revenue support grant will come to this council. At the same time, we have one of the most ageing and growing populations in the country. There is a world of difference between transformation savings and unfair and vicious cuts.”

Council officer Chris Malyon said: “A £4 million budget deficit has been identified. Mechanisms have been identified to bridge that gap.”

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Labour proposed an alternative budget where council tax was raised by five per cent, with a three per cent increase in social care precept. The Lib Dems also suggested a rise in council tax would be beneficial. They suggested a four per cent increase in council tax, with a two per cent rise in the social care precept. UKIP called for a freeze in council tax, while the Conservatives favoured having no increase in council tax, but a two per cent rise in the social care precept.

All of these amendments were voted down by the committee, which could not agree on the suggestions.

Cllr John Hipkin supported the idea of raising council tax to help pay for services.

He said: “Even at times of terrible austerity, we have to go for the maximum tax increase we can possibly get.”

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UKIP’s Cllr Peter Reeve said: “This council is draining households of their resources through taxation.

“We believe council tax affects the less well off. It puts an unnecessary strain on the general public.”

Lib Dem councillor David Jenkins said the Conservative proposals were “financially illiterate”, and said they were “management by hope”. Cllr Steve Count, leader of the county council, defended the amendment, saying it was balanced and workable.

As the committee failed to agree a budget, the decision will now go to the full council, which will meet on Valentine’s Day.